PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Mary Esther man has pleaded guilty to federal charges involving fentanyl trafficking and illegal firearm possession, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
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Scott Oranje, 52, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
“Identifying, targeting, and incapacitating the peddlers of this poison on our streets remains a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers intercepted a package on November 10, 2025, addressed to Oranje’s residence that reportedly contained more than 300 grams of fentanyl.
Investigators conducted a controlled delivery to the residence, where Oranje took possession of the package and entered his condominium, according to prosecutors.
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Shortly afterward, officers executed a search warrant at the residence. Oranje did not answer the door, and officers reportedly forced entry.
Mr Oranje is said to have fled through the back patio while in possession of fentanyl before being taken into custody.
A search of the residence reportedly revealed a digital scale, narcotics paraphernalia, owe sheets, and multiple firearms.
Prosecutors said Oranje had previously been convicted of first-degree residential robbery and sentenced to prison in California in 2018.
He faces consecutive minimum mandatory sentences of five years on each of two counts, for a total minimum of 10 years in federal prison, and up to life imprisonment.
A term of supervised release of up to five years may follow any prison sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting it.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
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